The latest news about Quanzhou Ancient City. What are the interesting places in Quanzhou Ancient City?

The ancient city of Quanzhou is an epitome of southern Fujian culture. A group of ancient and wise people live here, leaving behind precious historical, spiritual and cultural wealth. It is also a very attractive and unique tourist destination. Here is a specific strategy guide.

Although Quanzhou is not big, it has ranked first in GDP in Fujian for 22 consecutive years. There have been many wealthy businessmen in this place since ancient times. Economic prosperity brings spiritual prosperity. In just one day in Quanzhou, everyone we met, whether they were small restaurants or street vendors, had smiles on their faces. Take the initiative to talk and introduce local characteristics, history and culture. Doing business is important, but making friends is also important.

If you are like me and only have one day in Quanzhou, I recommend mainly going to Kaiyuan Temple, Chengtian Temple and the old city around Quanzhou Confucian Temple in Licheng District. Here you can see the best part of Quanzhou’s religious culture.

The ancient city of Quanzhou has three major attractions: ancient dwellings, ancient temples, and ancient streets.

Ancient houses

There were many famous businessmen and wealthy families in Quanzhou’s history, and many large houses were built in the lanes. There are many on both sides of West Street where Kaiyuan Temple is located. Among them is a beautiful ancient dwelling hidden indoors called Zhouzi Hsinchu.

The Song House at No. 116 West Street is one of the 16 buildings in Quanzhou and is included in the first batch of outstanding modern buildings in Fujian Province. It was built in 1912 and completed three years later.

West Street, located on West Street, is the original entrance to the entire building complex. It is now closed, but you can admire Quanzhou's exquisite architectural details. Its shapes, patterns, techniques, and materials all contain the cultural temperament of a specific era. Even the texture of the red brick walls is very particular.

The back building needs to be entered from No. 8 Chencuo Lane, which is the building and garden part now known as 1915 Art Space. This part reflects the Western style of late folk houses.

The front half of the residence is a double-protected official residence, and the back half is a Western-style building and a tree-lined garden, with an elegant environment. The symmetrical layout along the central axis is exquisite and gorgeous.

Near the Guandi Temple, there is also an ancient house teahouse, which is another style of Quanzhou’s ancient dwellings. The predecessor of the ancient house was a three-story building built in the late Qing Dynasty. It is said that the owner at that time had a fourth-grade official rank. Swallowtail ridges, black tube tiles, red bricks, and window lattice are typical traditional architectural styles of southern Fujian.

There are two large red (tea) lamps hanging at the door, which shows that there is a commercial operation here. Walking in, there is an open-air courtyard, and the three rooms at the back have all been transformed into relatively independent tea drinking spaces. The carved corner door, century-old calligraphy and painting wall, and words written by literati make people feel nostalgic through time and space.

Ancient temples

Quanzhou is known as "Quannan Buddhist Country" and "Minnan Penglai". These religions have built a large number of religious activity venues in Quanzhou. In the center of Quanzhou, there are Buddhist and Taoist sites like Kaiyuan Temple and Confucius Temple, as well as mosques like Jingqing Temple.

Kaiyuan Temple is the largest Buddhist temple in Fujian. It’s really unreasonable to go to Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou.

This temple covers a particularly large area, has a regular layout and is of high quality.

The most prominent and representative ones are the East and West Stone Towers. The east tower is also called Zhenguo Tower, and the west tower is also called Renshou Tower. These twin towers are the tallest stone towers in China. They have withstood the test of magnitude 8 earthquakes and typhoons and are still standing tall. The two towers are 200 meters apart, and the east tower is 4 meters higher than the west tower. On the north side of the east tower, there is a small hill where you can appreciate the details of the stone tower up close.

The five-story octagonal pavilion-style stone tower, with imitation wood structure and carved beams and painted pillars, is very exquisite. The eaves of the tower extend outward in a curved arc shape, and the angles of the eaves are high, giving the tower a light and airy appearance. There are four doors and four niches on each floor, which are interchangeable on each floor. This not only disperses the gravity evenly, but also makes the space

In addition, there is a teahouse on the second floor of the "Liv Minnan Urban Complex Space" on the north side of West Street. You can't see the East and West Towers, but you can overlook the bustling West Street.

Ancient streets and alleys

Quanzhou has these ancient streets and alleys: Zhongshan Road, East Street, West Street, Nanjun Lane, Zhuangyuan Street, etc. Not far apart.

There are many specialty snack bars scattered on the old street. You can stroll around the old streets while checking in. You can see all the ancient streets and lanes of Quanzhou in one day. West Street is an old street from the Bell Tower on Zhongshan Road in front of Kaiyuan Temple to Chengxi Road. On both sides of West Street, there are several alleys, each with its own characteristics. Many of the large houses hidden within have been converted into inns or cafes.

There are many shops on West Street, which can get crowded during the holidays. If someone is destined to enter an alley, perhaps a quiet and beautiful place can be found just a few steps away.

The buildings on West Street are a bit chaotic, but very beautiful, with three-story small Western-style buildings and a large number of wooden buildings. In the late Han and Jin Dynasties, due to wars, many people from the Central Plains went to Quanzhou to escape disasters, bringing with them advanced construction technologies from the Central Plains. The Quanzhou ancient house maintains the traditional Chinese wooden structure style in its main body, and has been improved according to the climate and other natural conditions of southern Fujian. Quanzhou is a famous hometown of overseas Chinese. After returning to China, many overseas Chinese brought architectural styles from all over the world.

Zhongshan Road, the most important north-south street in Quanzhou, is wide and lined with arcades, which condenses the essence of Nanyang-style architecture. The section from Bell Tower to Tumen Street is now a pedestrian street, but electric motorcycles can travel on this street. Especially during the morning and evening peak hours, the army of electric motorcycles from southern cities forms a particularly spectacular scene on Zhongshan Road.

Travel guide

West Street Tourist Service Center

Address: No. 219, West Street, Licheng District, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province

Business hours: 10:00-18:00

Fujian South Urban Complex Space

Address: No. 70 West Street

Business hours: 10:00-23:00< /p>

Kaiyuan Temple

Address: No. 176 West Street, Licheng District, Quanzhou City, Fujian Province

Opening hours: 08:00-17:30 (Monday to Sunday, January 1st - December 31st)